Posted on 09/09/2005 10:37:27 AM PDT by cwb
While nobody is going to say that FEMA and the federal response to Hurricane Katrina has been a model of efficiency, what should be acknowledged, however, is why it wasn't.
From FEMA's own Website: "SOME THINGS FEMA DOES NOT DO":
- Physically rescue people or serve as "first-responders" in a disaster – that is the responsibility of local and state police, fire and emergency personnel. (This is exactly why FEMA notes that they won't arrive for 72-96 hours after a natural disaster passes).
- Building dams or levees or activating sand-bagging activities – generally the responsibility of local/state officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- Taking "charge" of recovery effort -- FEMA works jointly with state and local officials.
- Running temporary shelters or disaster feeding stations...generally the responsibility of such organizations at the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army.
- Making weather predictions, fly into hurricanes or predict when rivers will surpass flood stage – generally the responsibility of the National Weather Service.
- Ordering evacuations of communities due to natural disaster – generally the responsibility of state and local officials.
- Setting building standards or setting zoning regulations – generally the responsibility of local and state official, with suggestions from FEMA.
- Calling out the National Guard – generally a state responsibility.
Who is FEMA?
FEMA has about 2,600 full-time employees and as many as 4,000 temporary and reserve employees called Disaster Assistance Employees (DAEs) who are deployed during federal disasters.
(Excerpt) Read more at fema.gov ...
Early in 2003, Mr. Ebbert was appointed by New Orleans mayor C. Ray Nagin to the position of director for homeland security and public safety. "Ebbert is a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel who formerly served as director of security for Boeing Petroleum Services as well as executive director of the New Orleans Police Foundation, so he brings both private-sector security knowledge and law enforcement know-how to the position.
Ebbert noted that, "I have responsibility for coordinating with all the federal and state agencies on behalf of the city in all areas of homeland security. I have operational control of the police department, fire department, and the office of emergency preparedness, and I report directly to the mayor."
From Security Management Online (Sept-2003):
Louisiana is strengthening homeland security in a number of ways, says retired Colonel Jadwin (Jay) Mayeaux, Jr., the division chief for operations and homeland security within the homeland security division of the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness (LOEP). One initiative is the Rapid Response Force, a group of more than 1,200 National Guard soldiers in 11 teams in nine metropolitan areas, including New Orleans. This on-call force can respond immediately to a crisis and reinforce on-site personnel, says Mayeaux.
Another initiative is the Special Reaction Team (SRT), three groups of National Guard soldiers (most of whom work for civilian law enforcement agencies) who "help train and work as a cadre for the Rapid Reaction Force," according to Mayeaux. They can assist and augment civilian authorities and train soldiers in MP tasks. Both groups have been called in to assist New Orleans several times (most recently during college basketball's Final Four weekend) to help the city beef up its law enforcement efforts."
With all the cries I hear over Mike Brown and his "resume" I find it ironic that the men with a similar (if not more relevant) job description in Louisiana have as much or more of the very experience that some are now demanding of the FEMA director. Yet, even with all this experience and so-called preparidness, none of this city's plans were evident after Hurricane Katrina came through. Even more disgusting is that these very people were the one's responsible for coordinating with FEMA "before" this crisis hit.
While Mike Brown certainly hasn't distinguished himself through this disaster, the idea that he would be the first...and so far only person being held accountable for these failures is a fraud. As I type this I see that Brown is now being replaced. Maybe now the media will turn to those most responsible for this disgrace.
The federal agencies that provide assistance include:
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior
Department of Justice
Department of Labor
Department of State
Department of Transportation
Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service
Department of Veterans Affairs
Agency for International Development
American Red Cross
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal Communications Commission
Federal Emergency Management Agency
General Services Administration
National Aeronautical and Space Administration
National Communications System
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Office of Personnel Management
Office of Science and Technology Policy
Small Business Administration
Tennessee Valley Authority
U.S. Postal Service
While some people consider it one, that's not a federal agency.
Its from the FEMA Site.
From that site:
In response to a presidentially-declared disaster, FEMA may work with up to 28 federal agencies and the American Red Cross to provide assistance...
The list is the organizations that are FEMA's 'partners' in disaster recovery. There are federal agaencies and, separately, there's also the Red Cross, which isn't a federal agency. If it were a federal agency, it would be funded by Congress, not donations.
Thanks, I didn't even realize it wasn't working.
FEMA Chief Relieved of Katrina Duties
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
WASHINGTON (AP) - Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, The Associated Press has learned.
Good. Maybe now, the media will begin focusing on those most responsible for this failure. NOT!
I absolutely agree! We also need to see the same calls for accountability on the right that we've been hearing on the left. Mike Brown is being made a scape-goat specifically so the left can cover for the state and local officials in Louisiana. They always put the Republicans on the defensive...no matter what the issue. And they do this precisely to distract from their own accountability.
Not counting the terriorist attack on Sept. 11. Some of the costliest disasters in this history of the U.S. include the Northridge Earthquake (1994) $7 billion in federal relief; Hurricane Andrew (1992) $1.8 billion in federal relief; Hurricane Hugo (1989) $1.3 billion in federal relief; Midwest Floods (1993) $1.1 billion in federal relief; Loma Prieta Earthquake (1989) $867 million in federal relief; Hurricane Marilyn (1995) $542.5 million in federal relief; and Hurricane Fran (1996) $623 million in federal relief.
How the hell did we get to 52 billions in federal relief already !
So, I've seen Brown pilloried for not doing other people's job. What - that he was supposed to actually be doing - did he and his organization not do? I suppose if he was relieved there must be something, but I haven't seen it in the news. All I've seen is stuff local officials were supposed to have done before FEMA was even supposed to arrive.
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